


Filling the Spaces

by softdante



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pre-Six Of Crows, i love them so much what the fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 06:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11571897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softdante/pseuds/softdante
Summary: Wylan and Jesper meet before the heist because a certain someone (Wylan) thought it'd be a good idea to go out all alone, and another certain someone (Jesper) has to save his ass by pretending to be his boyfriend.





	Filling the Spaces

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this because why the fuck are there almost no wesper fics on here WHERE is the quality content that i fucking signed up for?? fandom better step up its game or square the fuck up. oh n also hv fun reading

Wylan didn't know what he was doing in this place. What he  _did_ know was that if he spent one more day hogged up in that one room apartment with the one of the only sounds around him coming from the leaking pipes everywhere, he'd lose his mind. The silence around him mixed with the droplets, the screams and fights outside, and the awful thoughts in his head almost had him pulling his hair off in chunks.

So he got up. He got up, he left the room (the apartment, which wasn't really an apartment), and he went outside. No destination in mind, no idea what he'd do if he got jumped, which was very likely. All he knew was he couldn't spend another minute, another  _second_ , locked in there.

 _This is a pretty stupid thing to do_ , he thought to himself as his panic took over. What was he doing, walking around in these streets?  _This is a pretty stupid, pretty dangerous thing to do. But I'm a pretty stupid boy. It's what got me here in the first place._

That made him frown. Guess awful thoughts followed you around everywhere.

Remembering the reason he was here almost made him think about his father. The words stung, almost knocked the breath out of his lungs. Not his father. Not his father.  _Not my father._

Frustration quickly seeped into him. This was not the time. He could get mugged at any given moment, and though he didn't have much on him, he didn't have much in total. He couldn't spare a single penny. Maybe he could just... sit somewhere. Just pick a random a random shop and find a table in a corner, where hopefully, hopefully no one would bother him.

Each place looked worse than the other, but at last, he forced his feet to take him through the entrance of... he couldn't read the name. Of course, he couldn't. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The voice at the back of his head, the only semi-positive voice he had, tried to scream at him. Tried to tell him he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't listen.

So that's where he ended up, sitting at a tiny table in the corner of the place, staring at the wood so hard that he thought his eyeballs would pop out of his head, and fidgeting so obviously that he decided he wouldn't be surprised if someone came over and told him to empty his pockets.

No one did, though, which was a relief. His joy didn't last long.

A man walked up to him, and it took everything Wylan had in him not to make a run for it. The man hadn't necessarily done anything  _bad_ yet, but he was twice his size and three times his age, and Wylan didn't really trust older men.

The man grinned lazily at him, looking like getting the corners of his lips to lift took effort. A gold tooth on the right side of his mouth caught Wylan's attention, and the creep smiled even wider, thinking Wylan was staring at his lips. On the bright side, it didn't look like he was about to beat him up, but that didn't ease Wylan's fear.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Did he feel like laughing, throwing up, or crying? Possibly a mixture of all three. Did this guy realize the age difference? With disgust, Wylan realized he must have, and it hadn't discouraged him from coming over. "Hello," he said quietly, sinking into his chair.

"Shy, are we?" The man's eyes grew larger, and Wylan didn't like the way they seemed to slide all over him. He didn't like it at all. It felt like his blood was turning ice cold.

He didn't say anything, didn't know what. So he kept quiet and kept his eyes on the table, only glancing up once to make sure the man was still a good distance away. Realizing Wylan wasn't about to reply, his smile turned even more predatory. "Pretty boy like you shouldn't be hanging out here by himself. What do you say," The man licked his lips, and Wylan was sure his stomach was about to start emptying its few contents. "You and I head back to mine? Promise it's warm."

"Uh..." Wylan's entire body was about to collapse from panic. In no way did he want to give this man the wrong idea that he was interested, but he also knew saying the wrong thing might end with him losing all his teeth. "I'm not... I'm a minor."

"I won't tell if you don't," the man leaned over the table and breathed all over his face, and Wylan's repulsion intensified. Could he make a run for it? No, he wasn't that fast. Maybe he could lie and say he had some sort of contagious disease. He was going over all his options in his mind when a hand gripped the man's shoulder.

A dark, younger guy with a friendlier smile pulled the creep away from the table and slid into the seat beside Wylan. Wylan stared in confusion and wondered if he should be afraid, but the boy only stared up at the old man with the same grin. "You bothering my boy here?"

Wylan tried not to choke as the dude threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Your boy never said anything about being anybody's boy," the man, still standing, said lowly, his eyes narrowing and his earlier intimidating smile slipping off his face.

Wylan didn't understand how the stranger  _who still had his arm around him_ looked so calm. Happy, even. He didn't look weak, but he was lanky and in no way as buff as the other guy. "I don't  _own_ him. But," he then turned to face Wylan for the first time, and it took real effort not to stare at his perfectly shaped lips. His expression turned fake upset. "You didn't tell the nice man you had a boyfriend?"

Wylan almost snorted at  _the nice man_ , but he stopped himself. He didn't really understand what was going on, but the guy looked about his age and he had kind eyes. It seemed like Wylan's decision had been made for him. Also, the other dude looked like he was about to crack someone's skull open if he didn't get an answer soon. "Um. Y-Yeah. Sorry, I was just about to."

The man's expression turned a little less lethal, and without another word, he turned around and walked away. Probably trying to find another prey. Wylan desperately hoped there weren't any other minors here.

The dark skinned stranger cleared his throat, forcing Wylan to look up at him. But as soon as he did, he realized they were way,  _way_ too close and had to turn his face the other way again. "Thank you?"

The arm around his shoulder dropped, and Wylan could finally breathe properly again. "Thank you? Kaz doesn't pay me enough for this."

Wylan's confusion only grew. Was he expected to know who this Kaz person was? "I, uh, I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"You  _beg_ my  _pardon_?" The stranger repeated after him, half disbelieving, half amused. Wylan was starting to get irritated. Was he going to repeat everything Wylan said as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd heard? His frustration must've shown because the guy's obnoxious grin was back. He was even chuckling. "Relax, kid. You're fine."

Wylan thought he was far from fine. Not just now, but at any given time. But he just took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

"That's it?"

"What do you want from me?" Wylan snapped.

He expected a punch to the jaw, a broken hand, two broken hands. At least a minor injury. But he only got an encouraging smile. "That's the attitude I'm looking for."

Wylan only frowned at him. Finally, the guy sighed and said, "I'm Jesper."

Good. He was getting tired of calling him  _the guy_ or  _the stranger_ in his head. "I'm-"

"Wylan Van Eck, Jan Van Eck's son." That made Wylan flinch. Jesper went on. "Disgraced heir, voluntary canal rat, merchling, yada, yada, yada. I've been over this a thousand times with Kaz."

Creeped out was an understatement for what Wylan was feeling. At least he wasn't being beat up. "How do you know that?  _Why_ do you know that? Who's Kaz?"

That made Jesper's eyebrows lift. "Don't be stupid. You know Kaz. Kaz Brekker."

"Don't call me stupid," Wylan bristled. He hadn't recognized the first name alone, but he knew Brekker. He knew Brekker and his Wraith. His mind briefly played a flashback of his father screaming at his security team downstairs. He'd smiled at the time, sitting at the top of the stairs and watching the vein in his father's forehead nearly pop. He'd been filled with fear, afraid that the anger would be turned on him once the sun set, but the joy at seeing his dad so frustrated, so helplessly furious was still there.

Multiple times, he'd screamed Brekker's name. Brekker and his Wraith, and all the money he lost because of them. Later, Wylan had found out who the man who terrorized his father was. He hadn't known whether to be terrified or grateful. He still hadn't decided.

"You work for Kaz Brekker?" He asked quietly.

"The one and only," Jesper grinned. "He's... I was gonna say not as intimidating as you'd think, but he totally is. Pretty funny, too, when he wants to be." Wylan stayed quiet. Jesper continued. "Don't worry, merchling. He's not gonna kill you."

"Lucky me." Wylan deadpanned, and almost jumped when Jesper laughed.

"Only a dumbass would have a merchant's son right under his thumb and get rid of him. Kaz is anything but a dumbass." Wylan wondered if there was anything going on between Kaz and Jesper from the way Jesper spoke about him. He couldn't imagine dirtyhands, as his father would call him, engaging in any... romantic relations, but what would he know?

Wylan turned hesitant. If he told them about his father disowning him, would they kill him? Would Kaz find him useless and get rid of him? Or would he just leave him to die on his own? "I'm not... You can't use me against my father."

Jesper snickered. "You think we don't know that? The Wraith knows everything, even the way you sort your undergarments."

Wylan felt his cheeks and neck heat up rapidly. Who says things like that? He cleared his throat, "So why does Kaz want me alive?"

"Not to use against your father. Other merchants. The ones who have no idea what happens in the privacy of your home."

"It's not my home."

"Fine. Your house, then," Jesper shrugged. Wylan was about to tell him that it wasn't even his house anymore, but he kept quiet.

"Still don't understand why you came over."

Jesper looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Wylan knew he probably didn't get his brows done, but it sure looked like it. "Came over?"

"Yeah, you know. When the man was..." Wylan didn't know how to continue.

"Flirting with you?" Chuckled Jesper.

Wylan blushed. Again. "That wasn't flirting. That was harassment."

Jesper shrugged. "Yeah. Men here don't understand the difference." Wylan kept his expression expectant. "Oh. Yeah, Kaz would cut my legs off and feed them to me if I let anything happen to you. I'm supposed to be watching over you. Call me your guardian angel."

So that's why no one's hung Wylan from his feet until all the change in his pockets was on the floor yet. "Oh."

"Yeah,  _oh,"_ Jesper nudged Wylan's shin with his shoe. "You're not making it easy for me, either. You're, like, what? Five foot six? And you look thirteen. And you think it's a good idea to walk around here alone?"

 _Who else would I walk with?_ Wylan thought bitterly. Alone was all he knew. Alone now, in the apartment, Alone then, hiding in closets in the house's guest rooms so his father wouldn't find him. "I look at least fifteen," Wylan argued instead of paying attention to the negativity in his head.

"Denial is for idiots, and Kaz said you were smart."

"I'm plenty smart, and I'm going to my apartment," Wylan grumbled and tried not to focus on the fact that he hadn't meant the first part of his sentence.

He was about to get up before Jesper grabbed his wrist. His breath hitched in his throat as he looked Jesper in the eyes. Jesper looked merely annoyed. "Are you out of your mind? You can't go home— sorry, current place of living."

Wylan was starting to feel really dumb. The usual. "Uh, and why not?"

"Remember our golden toothed friend over there?" Jesper asked and briefly glanced over Wylan's shoulder. Wylan got the impression the creep was still watching them. "I don't think he's given up on you just yet."

Wylan groaned and dropped his head onto the table, feeling his curls on his forehead. Jesper laughed again, and Wylan grew uncomfortable realizing how grounding the sound was. "I don't think that's very hygienic," said Jesper.

"If you saw my apartment, you'd forget what hygienic means," Wylan mumbled, turning his head so he could look up at the smiley boy.

"Doesn't matter. You're staying here tonight."

"I'm  _what?"_ Wylan sputtered. He was sure his cheeks were reddening up again.

"You're either sleeping here, or you're being followed to your apartment by your... friend. Your choice."

"Is it really?"

"No." Jesper grinned. "Besides, who'd be so opposed to spending a night with their boyfriend?"

 _Does he ever stop?_ Wylan was sure his cheeks were brighter than his hair. "Fake boyfriend," he mumbled.

"Mhm."

"So are we gonna sit here all night?" Wylan frowned as he pushed himself up to look at him.

Jesper's grin and eyes widened. "I mean, if you'd like to go up to my room, I'm all yours."

Wylan dropped his face into his hands. "Oh my god. Enough."

"But it's funny when you get flustered."

"So do you guys have any empty rooms?" Wylan asked, quickly trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, but you're not getting any of them."

"I'm..." Wylan hesitated. "I'm sleeping down here?"

Jesper ducked his chin. "For a supposedly smart person, you're really, really thick."

"I'm getting really, really tired of you antagonizing me," Wylan huffed.

"You're sleeping in my room. Kaz would kill me if I gave you any of the ones for clients."

"Where are you sleeping then?"

"I'm not answering that." Jesper rolled his eyes.

Wylan took a moment to think of something to say that didn't make him look dumber than he already proved himself to be, and then it clicked. "You're sleeping with me," he said slowly.

Jesper smiled coyly at him. "If you insist."

Wylan felt himself smile a little at that one. "You're trying to piss me off."

"Guilty," Jesper smiled and leaned closer to him. And suddenly the floor was so interesting that Wylan couldn't look at anything but it. "You wanna head up? I don't think Johnny Bravo over there is gonna leave before we do."

"You already told him we're dating. Why is he still here?" Wylan complained.

"Well you're not being very affectionate with all your head turns and eye rolls. I don't think he's buying it."

"If you weren't so irritating it'd be more belieavable," Wylan defended.

"Just  _act_ like you can tolerate me," Jesper let out a breathy laugh.

Wylan grit his teeth and moved his chair closer to Jesper's. Without thinking it through, he pulled Jesper's arm back around his shoulder in one quick move and rested his head where Jesper's shoulder met his chest. "How's that for affectionate?"

"Kind of prudish, but still good." Jesper said, and even though Wylan couldn't see him, he could tell Jesper was grinning.

Wylan got even more annoyed at that, and even though his face was already hot and flushed, he turned his head up, brought his hand to Jesper's cheek, and pulled him in for a kiss. He could sense Jesper's surprise, even with him kissing Wylan back. The whole thing only lasted seven seconds, but it still sent Wylan's stomach into chaos, not to mention the aching it caused his chest. It wasn't that Wylan  _liked_ it. Jesper's lips were just really, really soft, and they captured his own so well, and his skin was silky smooth under Wylan's palm. He couldn't hold himself back as he slowly ran his thumb across Jesper's cheekbone.

Okay. Wylan liked it, just a little. He liked the  _kiss._ Not Jesper.

When Wylan pulled away, panic setting into his mind, he grudgingly realized he missed the warmth of Jesper's lips on his. Jesper sounded breathless when he spoke next although the kiss hadn't lasted long. "Yeah, I think that'll convince him."

"Yeah?" Wylan asked weakly. Jesper had reached for Wylan's hair when they were kissing, and it remained there now, unconsciously playing with random strands. Wylan assumed Jesper didn't realize what he was doing, but he didn't mind it, so he didn't point it out. It was nice, even.

Jesper nodded, his eyes gleaming under the club's lights. "Having a boyfriend is fun."

"Shut up," Wylan huffed and turned his head to look for the guy who was harassing him. Also to have an excuse to look away from Jesper. He didn't want him to see his pink cheeks.

Jesper tugs at Wylan's collar, forcing him to look back at him. "I think your little stunt got rid of him," he hummed.

"Can we go up now, then?" Wylan asked, eager to get away from all the scary looking people around him.

Instead of answering, Jesper simply got up and cocked his head towards the wooden stairs. Wylan rose to his feet not a second later, and Jesper wrapped his slender fingers around his wrist again, probably so he wouldn't get lost among the crowd.

Although it was incredibly loud, Wylan still heard the stairs creak beneath his feet as they managed their way up to a long hallway filled with doors. Jesper still hadn't let go of Wylan's wrist, and so he dragged him along until they were standing in front of the fifth door to the left. Wylan repeated that inside his head multiple times—  _fifth door to the left, fifth door to the left, fifth door to the left..._ What if in the middle of the night he had to go to the bathroom, then got the doors mixed up, and barged in on some poor individual trying to sleep? He'd probably lose a hand.

Jesper's room wasn't big. It was a  _mess_ , by all means, but Wylan found himself comforted by the way bright colored clothes hung everywhere and the fact that Jesper had pictures of his father and him on the floor beside the mattress. Unlike his own apartment, this room felt like it could be someones home.

The mattress itself wasn't big either, and the thought of being that close to Jesper for an entire night sent heat shooting up Wylan's cheeks and neck. Maybe Wylan could sleep on the floor.

"You gonna sleep in that?" Jesper's voice snapped him back to reality, and Wylan looked down at what he was wearing. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it also wasn't that bad. He shrugged with a nod and stood awkwardly while Jesper searched in his drawers. Finally, Jesper pulled out a plain white shirt and tossed it to Wylan. "At least change your shirt."

Wylan ran a finger over the soft material and nodded again, not looking at him. "Uh," he cleared his throat when Jesper went back to looking for clothes for himself. "I need to get up early for, uh, work."

The corners of Jesper's lips lifted a little. "I'm sure Inej would be happy to lend you her alarm clock." Wylan's eyes widened, and he laughed. "Don't worry. The Wraith is a sweetheart if you don't get on her bad side." Wylan rocked back and forth in his same spot, feeling like an outsider in a building of criminals. Jesper didn't notice as he kept talking. "I'll get it from her on my way to the bathroom— which is at the end of the hall, by the way."

"Alright," Wylan said. "Thank you."

"Mhm."

As soon as Jesper left the room, Wylan quickly tugged off his cheap knit sweater and the white collared shirt beneath it, replacing them with the white one. Jesper was taller than him, and his torso was a lot longer, so the shirt went way past Wylan's hips. Although it was three sizes too large, it was also the most comfortable clothing item he had worn ever since leaving his father's house.

Jesper came back, and instead of waiting for his reaction to Wylan in his clothes, Wylan carefully took the clock from him and set it to 8am.

They got onto the mattress, Wylan with his face to the wall and his back almost pressed against Jesper's. "Sweet dreams, merchling," Jesper mumbled into his side of the pillow.

"Goodnight," Wylan breathed, and he closed his eyes.

Anyone else would've woken up in a bad mood, all pressed up against a wall and an alarm going off right behind their ear, but not Wylan. Wylan woke up feeling better than he had in months. Although Jesper's arms weren't strongly locked around him like Wylan was nervous they'd be, his face was nuzzled into the side of Wylan's neck and his breath tickling it. Wylan was afraid if he moved, he'd wake the sleeping boy beside him.

The ringing of the clock also brought him comfort. It reminded that although his life had somehow gone down the drain, he was still making it work. He was still waking up everyday and making a living, even if wasn't much. He was doing  _something_ , and that meant he wasn't as useless as his father had imagined. He wasn't as weak and foolish as his father had told him time after time.

Gently, he pulled his head away bit by bit until Jesper's head was completely on the pillow. He was only just beginning to button up his shirt when Jesper rolled over, stretching. "Morning, sunshine," he yawned.

Wylan turned his back to him until he had all the buttons done. "Did I wake you?" he asked, picking his sweater from the floor.

"I'd be mad if you didn't," Jesper pushed himself up on elbows. "I need to walk you there."

"You— what? why?" Wylan scratched the back of his neck. His cheeks flushed red as Jesper removed his shirt right then and there.

"You think you can walk from here to there without your boyfriend?"

Wylan rolled his eyes but didn't argue any further. If Jesper wanted to wake up this early to unnecessarily walk Wylan to work, who was he stop him?

And that's what they did, once Jesper finished dressing.

They walked the mostly empty streets in silence. Wylan noticed that Jesper kept his hands on his revolvers at all times. Maybe he took comfort in them the way Wylan took comfort in sketching. Wylan needed to stop paying such close attention to everything the taller boy did.

Wylan halted once they were in front of his workplace. "This is my stop," Wylan bit down on his lower lip, looking at the door.

Jesper nodded slowly. "Alright, merchling. Don't be a stranger."

He turned to leave, and Wylan spoke once again without thinking. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Jesper, wait."

Jesper grinned. "Hesitant to leave my company?"

Wylan looked down, his stomach turning at what he's about to do. "Uh, something like that," he murmured, swallowing. "So, like..." he trailed off as his throat started to dry up. Jesper just stood there, leaning against a lamp post and smiling like an idiot. At least he wasn't rushing him. Wylan took a breath and tried again, "Yeah, uh. Maybe we could go out for waffles sometime. Or anything, really. My treat."

Jesper tilted his head and wrapped his fingers around Wylan's collar, pulling him forward. "Waffles with a merchant's son. Who could say no to that?"

Wylan pursed his lips to keep from smiling too wide. "Okay," he said quietly, finally looking Jesper in the eyes only to find himself mesmerized by how grey they were. "Okay," he repeated. "It's a date."

Jesper's grin only widened at that. He leaned down and planted his lips on Wylan's cheek, drawing out yet another blush. "See you then," he said as he walked away backwards. "Wylan."

Wylan walked into the shop with a smile for the very first time. Maybe the city didn't have to feel so lonely after all.


End file.
